The Texas Rangers remain the only MLB team to refuse to host a “Pride Night” in celebration of the LGBTQ+ community.
Every season, 29 out of the 30 MLB teams host various Pride events.
These celebrations are often relatively simple, with teams creating customized jerseys and often inviting members of the community to participate in the event in some manner.
Notably, the New York Mets made headlines earlier this month when the Pride Flag was displayed during a signing of the National Anthem, resulting in backlash and a call to boycott the league, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The Rangers have not specifically stated why the organization opts against hosting a “Pride Night” event, but a previous statement from the club claims that the goal is to make sure every person feels celebrated during every game.
“Our longstanding commitment remains the same: To make everyone feel welcome and included in Rangers baseball — in our ballpark, at every game, and in all we do — for both our fans and our employees. We deliver on that promise across our many programs to have a positive impact across our entire community,” wrote the team, as reported by DX.
The Rangers’ holdout has resulted in criticism from some within the community.
Last season, a former Rangers employee spoke out about the club’s refusal to host a “Pride Night,” explaining that the silence from the organization is “deafening.”
“The fact of the matter is it’s a free marketing opportunity, it doesn’t cost them anything personally and they can boost revenue by looking inclusive. The fact that there hasn’t been one (for Texas), is the biggest ‘actions speak louder than words’ I’ve ever seen,” he added, per The Athletic.
On the other hand, some activists in the area believe there are more important aspects of the LGBTQ+ community that should be focused on.
Rafael McDonnell, the advocacy and communications manager for the Dallas-based Resource Center, said, “There’s a lot of triage in the community as a whole,” noting that the Rangers are not currently a priority.
“You have to pick and choose where you put your energy. Right now, it’s hard to raise the level of outrage about a baseball game,” he said, per The Dallas Morning News.
McDonnell added that some within the organization hope the Rangers do more to celebrate Pride Month, but that is not a realistic expectation for the club moving forward.
“I think there are probably people within the organization that would like to do more, but when it comes to ‘Pride Night’, that’s an issue that right now they’re not gonna budge on, and that comes from the highest levels,” he said, per Chron.